Mechanism for testing watches



(No Model.)

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. B. COPELAND.

MECHANISM FOR TESTING WATCHES.

Patented Dec. 30, 1890.

UNITED STATES DROMMIE COPELAND,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF SALEM, NElV YORK.

MECHANISM FOR TESTING WATCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,695, dated December 30,1890.

Application filed April 29,1890- Serial No. 349,885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BROMMIE COPELAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, county of Vashington, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Test ing Watches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to such improvements; and 1t consists of the novel constructron and combination of parts hereinafter described, and subsequently claimed.

Reference maybe had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in side elevation of my improved machine for test ing watches. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the adjustable beam, taken on the broken line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan the adjustment must be adapted to the occupation of the person carrying the watch. I therefore provide a testing-machine which will subject a watch to continued movements while being tested and regulated; also, means for varying the character of the movements and the position of the watch while subjected to the various movements.

The bed-plate A supports a post A, pivoted at A upon the plate and provided at its lower end with an arm A Upon the arm is a step-bearing A which supports the vertical spindle A rotary in such step. The spindle is also supported laterally by the arms A, projecting laterally from the post andv having in their projecting ends bearings for the spindle. The spindle supports at its upper end a cross-sweep B, fixed upon the spindle and consisting of an extensible watch-supporting beam at one end and a revoluble watch supporting frame at the other end. The extensible beam consists of the beam-socket B and the bar or beam B movable longitudinally within the socketaud adapted to be adj ustably secured therein by the thumb-screw B The projecting end of the beam is provided with the case-supporting arm 13*. This arm is pivoted at one end upon the pivot 13 to swing in a plane parallel with a plane passing through the longitudinal center of the beam, and the pin is provided with a socket adapted to receive and turn upon the end of the beam, permitting the arm to swing in a plane right-angular to the longitudinal center line of the beam. The latter swing movement is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4 and the former swing movement by the dottedlines in Figs. 1 and 3. The position of the arm (shown by the solid lines in Fig. 4) is the position indicated by the dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3. When the arm has been swung to the desired position,-it can be secured therein by the setscrews B and B The arm is shown with the case for holding the works of a watch detached. The case and means for attaching it to the arm are precisely the same as those shown upon the other end of the sweep, where the case 0 is shown secured to the arm 0, which is like the arm 13*, by means of a threadedbolt orpin C and a thumb-nut C Thebolt passes through the slot 0 The case is formed of a cylindrical shell 0 closed at one end by a glass 0, like a watch-crystal, and adapted to slide onto or into a bottom or base 0 like acover upon a cylindrical box, the division between the case and bottom being shown at C The bottom may be solid, or it may be simply a flanged ring, such as I have shown in Fig. 5, to hold the works of a watch within the shell, wherein they are accessible on the back or lower side for winding andvisible through the glass on the upper or face side, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The arm 0 is secured by set-screw C upon the upper end of the shaft D, which is rotary in the sleeve D. The sleeve is fixed upon one end of the shaft D the axial line of which is right angular to the axial line of shaft D and the sleeve.

The shaft I) has its hearings in the hangers D depending from the sweep, and is provided with the fixed bevel-gear D, adapted to engage with the bevel-gear A loose upon the spindle A", which is free to turn within it; also, with a loose gear-wheel D adapted to engage withthe gear-wheel D, fixed upon the shaft D. i

The spindle A is provided with a fixed drive-pulley A, adapted to be connected by belt with a motor, (not shown,) by which a ro tary movement may be communicated to the spindle and the ends of the sweep caused to revolve about the axial line of the spindle.

The gear-wheel A is held in a fixed position and prevented from turning by the bracket-lever A, projecting laterally from the rod or link A, which is supported by the arm A", and the gear-wheel D is prevented from turning with the shaft D' by the bracket-1ever D projecting laterally from the rod D, which is supported by the hangers D".

hen the watch-supporting frame on the sweep revolves about the axial line of the spindle, rotary movements are communicated to the shaft D by the engagement of the bevelgears, which causes the case 0 and gear wheel D" to revolve about the axial line of shaft D The latter revoluhle movement causes the gear-wheel D to engage with the restrained gear-wheel D and communicate a rotary movement to the casesupporting shaft D. I am thus able to maintain simul taneously three distinct and continuous movements of the watch-supporting case, consisting of a revoluble movement about the axial line of shaft D a rotary movement upon the axial line of shaft D, and a revoluble movement about the axial line of spindle A. The weight F is adapted to slide longitudinally of the shaft D, and can be adj ustably secured thereon, as indicated by the dotted lines, in any desired position by means of the setscrew F. The weight serves to balance the weight of the case and its inclosed watch. The rotary movement may be eliminated without affecting the other two movements by sliding the movable rod I) and. lever D backward to remove the gear-wheel I) from engagement with gear-wheel I)", as shown in Fig.

The movement of the watch-case can be limited to a revolublc movement about the axial line of the spindle by withdrawing the bevel-gearA from engagement with the bevelgear D. As a means for controlling the engagement of the bevel-gears, I have shown an eccentric II, which is fixed. upon a stem II,

rotary in the post A and provided with an operating-handle H The eccentric works in the cross-head II in the usual well-known manner to communicate reciprocating movements to the rod A and force the bevel-gear A down out of engagement with the bevelgear I). A coil-spring II serves to retain the gears in engagement when they are not disengaged by the eccentric. The post A can also be secured in an inclined position by means of the segment J, erected from the bedplate and provided with a thumb-screw J, adapted to engage with the end of the arm A". For convenience in illustration I have shown the relative position of the parts when the post is inclined by representingin dotted line in Fig. 1 a movement of the bed-plate and segment. 'hen the post is inclined, the sweep can be moved much more easily if its ends are made to balance upon its supportingspindle. The ends can easily be made to balance by attaching to each of the case-supporting arms a case containing the works of a watch and lengthening or shortening the extensible beam of the sweep.

It is obvious that the wonks of a watch can be subjected in my improved machine to almost every conceivable kind of movement. IVhile the watch is being regulated and tested it should be subjected to the movement or movements approaching most nearly to those itwill receive while in use by the wearer.

IVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a watch-testing machine, the combination, with a spindle, spindle-bearing supports, and means for imparting rotary move ments to the spindle, of a cross-sweep fixed upon the spindle and a watch-support adjustably fixed upon the end of the sweep, substantially as described.

2. In a watch-testing machine, the combination, with a spindle, spindle-bearing sup ports, and means for imparting rotary movements to thespindle, of a cross-sweep fixed upon the spindle, a rotary shaft, shaft-bearing supports fixed upon one end of the sweep, a cross-shaft, cross-shaft bearings fixed upon the sweep-supported shaft, a watch-support fixed upon the cross-shaft, and means, substantially as described, for communicating rotary movements to such shat-ts, substantially as described.

In a machine for testing watches, the combination, with a watch-supporting case consisting of a shell closed at one end by a glass plate and having a key-aperture in the other end, of a case-supporting arm having one end secured to the side of the shell and the other end projected to the axial line of the shell, and an arm-supporting stem extended longitudinally of such axial line, substantially as described.

4:. In a machine for testing watches the IIO combination, with the sweep-supporting spinthe other end of the sweep, substantially as 10 die, of an oscillatory spindle-supporting post described.

pivoted at one end to a fixed support, and In testimony whereof I have hereunto set means, substantially as described, for adjustmy hand this 25th day of April, 1890.

ably securing the post in its oscillatory are.

5. In a watch-testing machine consisting BROMMIE COPELAND. of a cross-sweep fixed upon a rotary spindle Witnesses: and adapted to support a Watch upon one end, GEORGE AUSTIN,

an extensible watch-supporting beam upon B. O. I-IAGGART. 

